Robert Lambert Playfair and other members of the Playfair family

The Playfair family originated in the Carse of Gowrie, Perthshire, around Errol, St Madoes and Kinfauns. They seem to have been tenant farmers or tradesmen until the eighteenth century when they diversified into the church and other professions as well as acquiring land in Bendochy, Coupar Angus, Perthshire.

The bulk of these papers originate from Sir Robert Lambert Playfair (1828-1899). He was in the Indian Political Service before becoming Consul-General of Algeria. Born in St Andrews, third son of Surgeon -General George Playfair, he was educated at St Andrews and Addiscombe Military College before joining the Madras Artillery in 1846. He travelled extensively from Aden to Egypt before his appointment by Sir James Outram as Assistant Political Agent in Aden in 1854. He moved to Zanzibar as Political Agent in 1862 where he remained until his retirement from the army as Lieutenant-Colonel and his appointment as Consul-General of Algeria in 1867. He served in Algeria from 1867-1897 (Tunis was added in 1885) and was made KCMG in 1886.

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